Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

“We expect this storm to bring eight to twelve inches of snow mixed with freezing rain, which will result in downed trees, widespread power outages, and dangerous driving conditions due to ice accumulations of up to one inch. Please stay tuned for continuing coverage.”

I stared at the television in disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me,” I mumbled to myself. I didn’t even think about checking the weather before I left town. I knew it would be cold, but the possibility of a winter storm never crossed my mind. The snowflakes falling from the sky and the meteorologists said otherwise.

I felt like I couldn’t catch a break. The reason I’d driven to my family’s cabin was to have a few days of peace and quiet while my life imploded back home. After catching my fiancé cheating on me with my best friend, I did what any sane woman would do. I put a picture of their cheating asses on five billboards around the city with an arrow labeling my ex-best friend as not the fiancée and a special message from me. “I know, and now everyone else does, too.” The day before the billboards were scheduled to go up, I left town without telling anyone where I was going. I guess I was reaping what I sowed. The billboards went up and the snow was coming down.

Unfortunately, the only place I could think of to go on such short notice was the cabin my family owned in Willow Ridge, North Carolina. I knew no one would think to look for me there. I had refused to go back after the boy I fell in love with broke my heart.

First, Jake. Then, Brock. Clearly, I had horrible taste in men. Even though it had been years since my relationship with Jake, I still felt a twinge of pain every time I thought about him. Thankfully, that wasn’t often, but there was no way I could stay at the cabin and not think of him at least once.

Jake’s family owned a cabin close to the one my family owned. We used to spend our summers in Willow Ridge, and I met Jake the summer I turned eighteen. He was a couple of years older than me, and I thought he was perfect. We spent all our free time together, and I fell in love with him hard and fast.

When the summer came to an end, we promised to make things work. Atlanta wasn’t too far from Willow Ridge, so we planned to take turns driving to see each other at least once a month. We saw each other in August and September but couldn’t get together for October or November. Our plans for December were solid. I was driving to our cabin straight from school to spend the first part of my winter break there. I was loading my car and bursting with excitement when I got a text message from Jake— breaking up with me . Instead of replying to the text, I called him, only to discover he had blocked my number. After crying the entire way home, I vowed to forget about Jake and swore I’d never return to Willow Ridge.

I jolted and almost dropped to the floor when I heard a loud banging sound. It took me a few moments, and another round of banging, to realize someone was knocking on the door. I froze, uncertain of my next move. No one should have been knocking on the door. That was the whole point of running off to a secluded cabin. I’d even turned my phone off so no one could track me.

“Hello! Is anyone home? It’s urgent! I’m your neighbor, Jake Williams.”

Jake . No fucking way.

The sound of his name snapped me out of my frozen state. I stomped to the door and angrily threw it open to find Jake fucking Williams staring back at me. “What in the hell do you want?”

“Sarah?” he gasped in surprise.

“Yes,” I snapped. “What do you want?”

He seemed taken aback by my displeasure with him, which made me want to strangle him, or slam the door in his face.

“Have you heard about the storm?”

“Yes, I was just watching the news report.”

“They aren’t exaggerating. This storm is going to be bad, and this cabin isn’t safe. You need to pack your bags and come with me.”

There was no fucking way I was going anywhere with him. “Thanks, but no thanks. This cabin has always been safe, so I’ll be staying right here.”

He turned and pointed to the trees surrounding my little oasis. “Any of those trees could fall and crush this cabin. The ones around my place have been cleared out. I also have a generator, and you don’t. And since I don’t see any firewood, you’ll freeze to death when the power goes out. It’ll be safer for you to stay with me until the storm passes.”

“Look, I appreciate the offer,” I said snidely, “but I’m not staying with you. I’d rather take my chances with the trees and the cold.”

When I started to close the door, he put his hand out to stop me. “I can’t let you stay here.”

“That’s not a decision you get to make.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. “Fine, have it your way. Your dad asked me to keep an eye on this place when your family isn’t here. I’ll call him and let him know you’re staying at the cabin and refusing to evacuate. I assume he doesn’t know you’re here, since he didn’t let me know to expect anyone.”

It took everything I had to keep myself from stomping my foot and screaming in his face. I didn’t want to go with him, but I didn’t want him to call my father. And I certainly didn’t want my dad to tell me I had to go with him. Inhaling deeply, I masked my anger and made the mature decision.

“All right, I guess I don’t have a choice. What do I need to bring with me?”

“Everything. If a tree falls on this place, it certainly won’t be safe for you to go inside.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“This isn’t something to joke about, Sarah.”

Condescending prick .

“Should I pack up the food I bought, too?” I asked.

He shrugged. “That’s up to you. I have plenty of food at my house, but it’ll just go to waste if you leave it here.”

“Okay. This is going to take me a little while. I’ll come up to your place when I get finished packing.”

“No, I’ll stay and help. I’ll get started in the kitchen while you pack your personal belongings.”

“Well, okay, then.”

Thankfully, I hadn’t brought a lot with me, so it didn’t take me long to pack my clothes and toiletries. Other than that, I had a few electronics and a couple of books. It really was an impromptu trip, and I had given little thought to how I was going to keep myself entertained. I also hadn’t thought about checking the weather. It never occurred to me I might face a monumental snowstorm.

“Ready when you are,” I announced.

Jake picked up a cardboard box full of groceries. “I’ll put these in the truck. Do you want to check behind me and make sure I didn’t miss anything?”

“Sure,” I said, though I thought it was pointless. Besides the fridge, there was a small row of cabinets for food. I highly doubted he missed anything, and I was right. I shook my head at myself. I needed to keep it together so he didn’t see how much his mere presence was bothering me. How was I going to get through an entire night with him? It had been less than twenty minutes, and I was already struggling.

He came back inside a few moments later. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yep,” I said and picked up my keys. “I’ll follow you back to your house.”

He grimaced and shook his head. “You’ll have to leave it here. You won’t be able to get to my house in your car.”

“What?”

“There’s already over an inch of snow on the ground. I doubt your car will make it up the path to my house. If you have anything important in your car, you should get it and bring it with you.”

“Why?”

“A tree can fall on your car just as easily as one can fall on the cabin.”

“Right.” Opening my car door, I surveyed my belongings. I didn’t have much in there, so instead of sorting through what I had, I just shoved everything from the glove box and center console into my backpack and called it a day.

Once that was done, I climbed into the passenger seat of his truck and wondered what in the hell I was doing.